Rise of Demons
by AnonymousFiend
Summary: One simple change of plan - a trump card a traitorous snake decided to use, where once he thought it insignificant. A single choice changed the fate of the entire Ninja world; a simple change of sides. Konoha learns the hard way what happens when Naruto Uzumaki isn't in their corner, when leaves begin to burn. Smart/Strong Naruto; Sound!Naruto; No Harem.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. D:**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Festivities**

The rain. It poured down from a black and dreary sky, crashing down against the soaked earth, the uproar of its beat drowning out the distant, rolling thunder. It pelted him - washed away the tears even as they fled from his bloodshot, blue eyes. A small, blond headed boy, strange little whiskers protruding from his cheeks as some sort of birthmark, laid out on the muddled ground and wailed. But like the thunder, like his tears, his sobs were drowned out by the cold, harsh rain.

The sky itself cried with him.

"Why?!" He demanded of it when his breath would allow - for it was the only one to listen. Two clenched fists smashed against the wet surface of rock he perched atop, as if it would give way to his strength; the strength of a seven year old. It would not. "Why me?" He asked again, weaker, voice trembling, barely heard spoken against the solid stone, his forehead pressed against its top.

 _'How did I even get here?'_ he would wonder later. Something blocked the memory inside him, like a curtain he couldn't lift. His arms and legs and chest and back and shoulders - no wound was to be found on them, yet still they ached and burned as if they had been taken into a fire. _'Why...?'_ He scowled, urging his mind to remember. Then, suddenly, like the flashing of lightning all around him, it all came back to him.

* * *

No day had ever been safe for him. Not even the jovial ones. Konoha's birthday, the day of its foundation by the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha. Everyone celebrated it, from the Hyuga to the Inuzuka to the Nara to the Sarutobi to the Uchiha themselves. Even the Aburame partook in the festivities - and anyone who knew that family for the introverts that they were, knew that for them to party was a very special thing!

It was bright and cheery then. The pleasant, golden autumn sun sparkled and shone with a gorgeous radiance, only adding to the happy mood that engulfed everything within Konohagakure's high walls. It was clear to everyone that a storm approached - a cold, eastern wind blew in from the shore, and as dawn turned to noon, dark and grey clouds flanked the horizon. But there was time enough to have a good time, and so that's what everybody did.

Everybody, that is, except one Naruto Uzumaki. "Jii-saaan!" The little blond boy whined while staring horrified at a rather large, red covered book with a golden leaf emblazoned across the front, which laid across a short, square table. "Do I reeeaaally need to read all this? Really really really?" Naruto hoped the answer would be no - and what kid wouldn't? There were more important things to do than read a history book, after all!

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. He was getting on in years; he didn't stand as tall as he used to, there were far more wrinkles on his face (and everywhere else), and his voice was broken and cracked. But he knew without a doubt that the one cause for his perpetually graying hair was the child sitting in front of him.

"Naruto..." He started after an exaggerated puff at his pipe, holding his free hand behind his back - supposedly it was a typical posture, but really it was just so he wouldn't accidentally smack Naruto upside the noggin. Something he wasn't altogether sure would be a bad thing for the blond's mental health. "The history of our village is important for everyone to know. It helps us keep to our traditions, those which keep the village strong, and it reminds us of why we're even capable of enjoying the day of its foundation. If we forget the sacrifices our forefathers made for Konoha, nothing will stop us from falling down the footsteps of their predecessors and causing Konoha and everything it stands for to-" Something was different. Hiruzen had closed his eyes at some point during his speech, and now that he reopened them he realized it - something somewhat startling, somewhat expected.

"...He's gone." The old man muttered, eyeing the spot Naruto used to be standing and the outline of the little boy's body flashing tauntingly at him. The long window that encompassed the side of the room - one of the panes had been opened. Naruto already demonstrated a knack for getting out of a tight spot despite his age. Or, out of what a six year old would consider a tight spot, which in reality wasn't very tight at all. Hiruzen stepped towards the window, idly watching the people through the fumes of his thin vessel of smoke. "Another time perhaps. He'll begin to take his studies seriously, eventually. ...I hope."

Hope was all he could do; Naruto had no inclination towards books or papers or anything to do with words, especially long ones. No, the little knucklehead's inclination was rather towards a far less productive 'hobby'. Pranks. Oh and he loved them too, more than anyone in Konoha had ever seen. All villages had that one individual, or group of them, who were the 'rat-pack' of the town. Who got into trouble and created a whole mess of problems. But none of them could ever compare to the terror Naruto inspired on the inhabitants.

"Naruto!" was a commonly heard outcry every day, whether it be morning or night. The young Uzumaki knew no limits, no risks were too great. Even the Hokage Monument had not been spared some form of indignation (would it have been a living entity it would have crushed the village itself in anger), most recently having all four of its faces, those of venerable Kage, marred with horribly painted symbols and humiliating 'additions'. The Nidaime, for example, suddenly had a sloppy red mustache where once he was a clean-shaven man. But no matter in what form it was, in some way Naruto was always getting himself into tricky situations with the locals; often risking his own personal safety in the process.

Unfortunately that was the very reason he never could have a _safe_ day in Konoha. Perhaps if he behaved he would have a peaceful existence within the walls, until his schooling was complete and he was accepted into the Shinobi ranks. But such a life was dull and boring to the hyperactive child, who was far more content with sacrificing safety for a bit of fun.

The joints creaked loudly as Naruto pulled on a wide, wooden gate marked with red ribbon along the center of three horizontal bars. It made him cringe, but all the same he couldn't stop himself from cackling in a quiet and sneaky way. "They'll be soooo pissed over this one!" He schemed, knowing full well the carnage his actions would soon bring. On the other side of the fence, snorting and shuffling hooves ran rampant like crashing waves off a shore. Anxious bulls desiring to be set free from their cage.

In hindsight, it was a terrible idea.

"Gaaaaaaah! Help me!" Naruto screamed not minutes later, running as fast as his faded-green sandals would carry him. It, sadly, was not nearly as quick as the wild and angry bulls who charged after him, leaving a massive cloud of dust in their wake. One would think they'd be more grateful to Naruto for releasing them; but the blond never could figure out wild animals. These were supposed to be somewhat tame, commonly being used to push heavy objects along roads or pull equipment horses and mules couldn't. But these seemed to be anything but tame.

In another case of mistaken facts, Naruto also thought that since he wasn't wearing any sort of red, the bulls wouldn't go for him. Little did he know that the rampaging monsters really didn't care _what_ color he was wearing, just that he was a moving target to focus their rage on. They really were cold-hearted brutes. Trailing down the street like a speeding cart full of rocks, Naruto darted and dashed best he could, his shouts urging people to get out of the way; which they did as quickly as a panicked mob of individuals could. Then the blond took a sharp turn into a narrow alleyway, just in time to feel the rushing wind of the animals charging behind him and off down the street, where he was left breathless and tired.

"Aw man... That really went bad..." He panted quietly, swiping his forehead with an arm to clean away the cold sweat that had begun to drip off his brow. A prank gone wrong; nothing new, yet every time it happened Naruto really wondered why he kept doing them. A thought that always vanished within minutes as he began to plot another such undertaking. "The pig pens! That'll be a whole lot safer; and waaaaay more messy!" Naruto laughed. So long as the little white and brown (not traditional pink) squabblers didn't think he was their grub - and how could they? - it would be smooth sailing.

Peeking out into the street and glancing both ways in search of the stampede of bulls, but finding nothing but the cloud of dust and particles they left behind, Naruto nodded firmly to himself, dusted off his knees, and walked out of the alley as if nothing had happened at all. No, he wasn't responsible for that mess of a prank in any way, shape, or form. Only an amateur could have let something go wrong _that_ badly; and Naruto was no amateur. Yet, for whatever reason, those few who dared stick their heads out of their doors or windows glared at him as if he had set loose a deadly plague.

"Eheh... Oops?" He offered, hardly a fitting apology, before dashing off down the road in an effort to escape their watching eyes before any of them decided to punish him for the act. They wouldn't do too much, of course - no, they couldn't. The Hokage didn't tolerate senseless brutality. But a scolding or a swat on the rump with a broom, or a combination of both, wasn't out of the question. That was a discipline even Naruto preferred to avoid; even though it did no more than make his butt sore for a few hours. It wasn't worth sitting still for.

The following minutes would find him performing a similar act as before with the bull pen, only this time instead of hooves and snorts there were squeals and something of an earthquake. Big, fat pork chops on legs were more than happy to take advantage of the exit Naruto gave them; a little too eager, since they completely trampled the poor blond in the process of making their escape.

"Blegh!" Naruto spat out a blob of mud and unspeakables from his mouth, and did his best to remove it from his eyes, as soon as the multiple hooves had moved on from walking all over him. Of course the nasty creatures had brought a whole bag-full of the stuff with them and completely covered Naruto in it, from head to toe! "I didn't mean THIS kinda' messy! C'mon!" He whined as he choked against the smell, barely able to even wipe the sludge off his clothes. A dozen showers wouldn't get rid of the brownish goop stuck all over his golden hair!

"Oi!" Shouted a middle-aged man bearing scrappy clothes, a wide straw hat, and a rusty rake - and there was the farmer. Naruto was beginning to wonder where he was, after the bulls had been released. "What've you done ya' little squirt?!"

 _'What does it look like?!'_ Naruto thought; "Ack!", however, was the only thing that came out, as he pulled himself from the sludge and took off towards the nearest street. Out of necessity and a lack of wanting to repeat the bull incident, Naruto made sure to pick a path _not_ in the same direction the pigs were headed. Bad enough that they already walked all over him and covered him with animal waste. _'Oh man, this is all dung isn't it?! Gaaaaaah! They'll never let me live this down!'_

"Git' back here Naruto!" The old farmer demanded as he chased after the scurrying Naruto; having no chance of actually catching the clearly swifter boy, but all the same willing to give it his best shot and scare the bejeebers out of the prankster in the process. Naruto certainly was worried, at least for the present - though more towards the glaringly sharp edge of the farmer's rake (despite being spotted with brown, cancerous splotches, it looked as if it could kill a man) than the farmer himself.

A mad dash across a stretch of open ground ended with a harsh skid on a single heel, the other foot smashed through the dirt to launch Naruto down another street. Heads turned, suspicious eyes gazed, all seeing the dirt-covered blond race down the lane. He was lucky there was a clear path. "What's he gotten himself into now?" A woman from a high window asked, a wince creeping onto her face.

"Nothing!" Naruto shouted quickly; doubting it would allay the growing frustration he typically inspired but willing to at least try nonetheless. Of course, the luck of the whole situation never was on his side. Just then the old man thrust his long, wrinkled nose around the bend, shouting in between gasps of air, initially naught but gibberish but eventually something at least coherent.

"Stop him!" He cried frailly. "The brat's gone an' let my pigs loose!" That settled it. Naruto didn't spare another word, there wasn't the time. In an instant nearly the whole street turned against him like an angry hoard of resurrected corpses - the blond had read that one from a book in Hiruzen's library. While there was a distinct lack of moaning or groaning, their grasping hands gave just the same impression. Naruto was forced to duck and weave around them, nearly getting nabbed multiple times before he managed to break free from the crowd. Another tight turn down an alley, a run that went as quick as his legs would take him; and then a sudden stop.

Just before leaving that narrow passage and entering the much broader space of the adjacent street, Naruto was intercepted by a squealing stampede of recently freed pigs. Naruto gasped, "Are you kidding me?!", and turned to stare in near horror at the other entrance, now blocked by a wall of human beings. He cursed under his breath, grinding his teeth and exchanging a testing gaze between the two artificial walls. Waiting for the pigs to all pass, _'How many of them are there, anyways?!'_ , while ideal, would not work; especially not as the group of individuals stalked towards him.

They wouldn't hurt him; he knew that. He'd be sent to the Hokage, who would likely have him performing chores for the farmer for the rest of the year. It was the humiliation of that which kept him from choosing that outcome. Naruto was a fighter, not a runner. "Naruto, come here..." Said a voice from the crowd warily, hoping to draw the cornered blond away from the herd of pigs. They probably thought he couldn't take another trampling. But what did they know?

Naruto did just the opposite. He turned and leaped into the crazed swine, landing atop one and holding on to its over sized neck (or what substituted for it) for dear life. Perhaps he was a bit of a runner after all; it was just his own form of rebellion. "Hahahahaha!" He bellowed with glee, unable to contain the enormous smile that stretched onto his cheeks as he sat up on the pig's back and outstretched his balled fists into the air. "Did'ja see that?! Didn't see that commin' huh! Another win for Naruto the Gre-Gak!"

It happened in a flash, so fast Naruto never had a chance to react - not that he was paying attention. Before he knew it he had been thrown off his steed, and his body slammed into the ground and rolled. Once triumphant, now a dazed mess on the ground, for a little while Naruto couldn't even recognize where he was. The world spun and twisted, like he was staring into a disrupted reflection in the water. "Oooooow..." He finally groaned, rolling onto his back (having landed on his stomach). "What the...?"

"Naruto..." A voice interrupted.

"...Oh." Even knocked senseless as he was, Naruto could still very easily recognize the voice. It belonged to a man who had spent the last two years teaching Naruto everything he could, whether the blond wanted it or not, about the world and becoming a shinobi. And, simultaneously, beating the living daylights out of him whenever he pulled a stunt. Keeping one eye closed and giving the most sheepish smile he could, Naruto looked up towards him after a moment of hesitation. "H-hiya, Iruka-sensei..."

"What were you thinking?!" Iruka scolded, fists on his hips and bent down towards Naruto by the waist. "First the bulls, now this?! Do you know how much damage you could've caused?! People could have been killed, Naruto! You're lucky no one was!" For an instant a look of disbelief flashed across the boy's face - then, realization. And finally, dropping his chin low and letting his golden bangs hang over his eyes, remorse.

"It was just a joke..." He murmured in a whisper, "I didn't wanna' hurt anybody." A sigh whisked through Iruka's parted lips as he straightened, his once harsh, stern eyes mellowing to softer ones. A passing glance tore his gaze away from the despondent blond and towards the halted armada of oinkers; corralled by two men wearing green flak jackets and bearing a metal-plated headband over their foreheads. Ninja were trained to face opponents capable of cutting down a whole crowd of regular men. A stampede of wild animals was like child's play to them.

"You didn't, thankfully. We were able to trap both groups of animals before any serious damage was done. It could have been a lot worse. See, Naruto - this is why you need to think before you do something stupid like this. Defacing the Hokage Monument is one thing, but this... This is much worse." The teacher lowered to a knee, with his arm laid over the other. A scar running across the bridge of his nose stretched as he faintly frowned. "But even though we were able to put a stop to it before then, you'll still have to be disciplined for it."

Naruto nodded once, not yet willing to look his instructor in the eye. His mind had turned blank, only a single image haunting his eyes; a factitious vision of a world where someone had died because of him. Where another child much like him cried over the body of a mother or father, and blamed him for it all. Naruto hated the thought. "I'm sorry." It was the only thing he could offer, both to Iruka and to the imagined boy or girl.

"I know." Iruka replied, extending a hand to pull the blond up to his feet. "It's over now. Just... Think before you act, Naruto. For me?" A single, silent nod was the reply. "Alright. Farmer Hōboku?"

"Aye?" Replied the nearly keeled over old man, the very same who had followed Naruto all the way from the pig pens. He had fared rather well, ignoring the struggled breaths, sweat-drenched face, and paler-than-normal skin.

"I think it would be appropriate if Naruto were to help you with some chores around the village. Don't you agree?" Iruka quirked a brow towards the crop tender, "After all, they were your animals." Hōboku brought a skinny, wrinkled hand to stroke the grey whiskers sticking from his chin like little thorns, eyes closed as he mulled the idea over. It was a few seconds before he would reply.

"Hrm... Well..." He paused, eyeing the blond or another second or two, "I suppose it'd work. S'long as he don't make a mess'o things again. 'Er pull another o' his lil' jokes. And I'll be holdin' you accountin' 'fer anythin' more he does on my land!"

After hearing Hōboku's reply, Iruka turned to Naruto. "Well? You'd be willing to do that much, right Naruto?" The blond hesitated then, holding a desperate, almost pleading gaze up at a steadfast Iruka; yet upon seeing there would be no ground to break with his instructor, Naruto realized there was no other alternative. Cornered and defeated, Naruto let his face drop, swallowed his pride, and huffed noisily in discontent. "Right, that's settled." Iruka agreed with a smile, stifling a chuckle after looking Naruto over. "But first, let's get you cleaned up. You're covered in pig feces."

It was practically instantaneous - only after Iruka made reference of it did everyone notice it. Not so much the mess that coated Naruto, but the ridiculously smelly stench that wafted off of it. "EWW!" They all shouted, covering their noses and backing away from the stomach-churning odor.

Naruto had single-handedly made it the smelliest holiday of the year.

* * *

A loud, surely exaggerated sigh interrupted the slow and melancholy brushing and sweeping of leaves. It wasn't the first, and it wouldn't be the last. A sun that teased the edge of a billowing wall of grey clouds, nearly overtaken by their rumbling advance, and a cold wind striking against everything in reach spoke of the hours that had passed since Naruto's unsuccessful sortie. A quick rinse down with a hose apparently sufficed for getting 'cleaned up' (Iruka cited a day as a farmhand would warrant a bath later on as a reason for not immediately removing the stench). Afterwards Hōboku set the young blond right to work at removing the mess he himself had made in allowing the pigs out of their pen.

Even now they squealed and snorted at him, perhaps taunting Naruto. There they were, trapped but well fed; while he was forced to be their proverbial waste disposal agent. _'This isn't fair!'_ , Naruto thought, glaring at the beasts. _'I tried to free your sorry rumps! 'Least you could do is clean your own crummy mess!'_ Of course Naruto knew that was probably asking too much, yet he wished it was possible. Maybe he could trick them into eating it? They devoured just about everything else, after all.

Pops and cracks broke his train of thought, and whatever small amount of work he might have been actually doing. In the distant sky, fireworks shot off and exploded loudly in a fantastic array of lights of all colors and sizes. The final celebration had begun. In all likelihood a feast was being held in the village's square, where everyone was laughing with their friends and family and enjoying both the fireworks and a show commonly performed on a makeshift stage. Naruto frowned, an image of a group of children laughing and playing as their parents watched. He could be there with them, couldn't he? Stealing large amounts of chicken thighs when nobody was watching, swiping whole plates of food for one of his more "big-boned" friends.

Yet here he was, stuck performing as a personal slave boy for Hōboku; Kami only knew for how long. Iruka wasn't specific when it came to the time frame. For all Naruto could tell he'd be in his predicament for the rest of the year. Which meant he had a very boring few months ahead of him. It certainly wasn't the ideal outcome for his attempt at having a little fun, but at least Iruka had promised to treat him to some Ramen every once in a while if he did a good job! That was enough of an encouragement, at least for a while.

But in the end, no amount of bribing could make Naruto want to be anywhere else other than right in the midst of the celebration. Even ignoring the food, the games, the show, it was the perfect opportunity to pull of a truly awesome prank! What it could be, Naruto had no idea - but he knew it would be epic, at least.

"Git' back 'ta work ya' brat!" Hōboku commanded while waving his rake (Naruto half-suspected the thing was attached to his hand). In his daydreaming the blond had temporarily forgotten what he was doing, where he was, and that he was being monitored the entire time. There was no room for getting sidetracked or procrastinating. Not while _that_ old thorn brush was watching him like the hawk he'd like to be. There was plenty of work to be done and not a whole lot of time to do it, especially not with the storm so close on the horizon.

"Right, okay, okay." Naruto answered mellowly, biting back the urge to say something he'd likely regret, and returned back to sweeping up the last few bits of sludge left behind after his mess of a practical joke. It had been an absolute pain to clean - most of it had gotten all clumped up in cracks between the pavement that surrounded the little pen. Incidentally, it wasn't on an actual farm - it was one of several agricultural locations scattered across Konoha. Apparently they were all strategically placed close to the establishments that most interacted with them; in this case, the slaughter house was right around the corner. As far as Naruto was concerned, the butcher could come and kill all the pigs right then and there.

Another flash in the background, followed by a loud crack, briefly cast a shadow over the whole ground. Normally they would wait a while longer before launching the explosive projectiles into the air, but on account of the approaching clouds the festival organizers thought it best to get them out of the way early. Why didn't they just save it for next year? Naruto bet it had to do with how the public would react. They practically demanded to have a fireworks display at the end of the holiday, and if they didn't get it there would be many complaints to contend with; something nobody really had any inclination of taking responsibility for.

 _'You just wasted time trying to explain to yourself why the fireworks are going off so early. Do ya' really need something to think about THAT much?'_ Naruto mused with a soft chuckle, scraping away the last little bits of disgusting globs into a pan and discarding it into a square, green bin beside him. Swiping his hands together and puffing out a breath he'd been holding for just about the majority of time he'd been working, Naruto smiled, relieved to finally be finished with that particular task. "Hey geezer! I'm all done with the-" The blond cut himself short as he turned to look at the chair Hōboku once sat in - only to find it empty. "He's gone?! What the-?!" Naruto shouted, wide-eyed. "Now I know how Jii-san feels!"

Of course that left the whole evening open. If he didn't know where the old man was, Naruto couldn't very well get a new task from him. While some small part of him felt obligated to at least find his 'boss of the year', the rest of him couldn't care less and was really only interested in sneaking some fun in at the festivities. _'The old guy's probably there anyway. Snuck off hoping I wouldn't notice!'_ Grinning a wide, Cheshire cat's smile that promised mischief, Naruto quietly leaned the messy broom (there was no way he was cleaning it anyways, the thing was trashed) and began a tip-toe away. Even though he thought the farmer had gone to the village center, still Naruto suspected he might not have after all.

Perhaps it was that suspicion that clued Naruto in on the truth. Had he been a little faster, he likely would have missed it - but in his peering and seeking, to make sure Hōboku wasn't merely taking a pee behind a tree, or spying on him from around a corner, Naruto caught a glimpse of it instead. It was unusual on its own that something so insignificant had caught his eye, but it had. It was round, though with a section distorted on its outside edge, and no larger than a fist. Nearby was a similar little thing. And another, and another - leading off around a corner heading towards the wall. Red, scattered drops of freshly shed blood.

"What the...?" Naruto wondered aloud, stopping for a moment to consider, then advancing on the trail. It led him down one of Konoha's less active streets, most of the buildings were boarded up or run down to the point of collapse; some already had. Where once the blood had been noticeable, soon it became increasingly less so, as if the source had been wrapped up and contained. What little of the path remained Naruto followed, until he turned into a narrow, dark, and haunting alleyway between two abandoned buildings. And there, on the farthest wall, he could make out two standing silhouettes; and by a torchlight held behind them, the barely recognizable form of Farmer Hōboku. "Wha-?"

"He took the bait. Didn't see that comin'." Said the taller of the two, who appeared almost to be a giant from what Naruto could tell. The other, someone who looked just about his size and with red, wavy hair approaching the individual's shoulders, jabbed the other with an elbow to the arm.

"'Course he did thickbrain! My flute ain't gonna' screw somethin' as easy as this cakefest up." _She_ retorted angrily; only then did Naruto see the flash of something thin and cylindrical in her hand. "Now hurry up ya' brute; we ain't got long before the grumpy tree kissers figure out we're here, and bone-boy can only keep those masked stooges busy for so long!"

"Right." Returned the larger one who, at that moment, lumbered over in Naruto's direction. For a while he was frightened, neither sure whether to run or hide or try to fight back. They'd killed the old man, and he hadn't even noticed. Naruto didn't know who they were or what they wanted - or why they were after _him_ \- but he knew well enough to tell they were cold-hearted killers. Or at least, seemed to be. That thought alone caught his feet on the ground, like glue had stuck to the bottom of his heels and refused to let him go. His knees shook and his hands quaked. _Fear_. This was fear.

Naruto didn't scream - his voice was caught in his throat - but at the very least he managed the strength to run away. Back out the alley and towards the wall; there were guards there. They'd help him. He had enough sense to know that, at least. A chanced look back revealed the giant skulking out of the lane's entrance like some monster out of a horror film. Immediately he looked ahead again, feeling the rush of panic rise from his gut and into his chest; he _had_ to get to that wall! Already it loomed over him, a horrific image on its own to some, but right now Naruto could only think of the structure as his savior. "Help!" He finally yelled, finding the strength to. "Help me!"

There was no reply. Where were they? A strong gust of wind, in the opposite direction of the storm, blew against him; some eerie feeling created by it forced Naruto to pause; and he looked up to see something of a net descending on him. "Gah!" He cried just before it hit, shoving him violently to the ground and sticking him place. It was no normal net - unless someone had begun to put a sort of putty on them. No matter what he tried, Naruto couldn't get it off of him or squirm out from underneath it! Then there was a rumble, an earthquake he thought - until the ground underneath him began to rise. Naruto gasped in shock and awe, barely able to believe his eyes as he witnessed the rock he was tied to leaving the earth.

What Naruto couldn't see was the 'giant' who stood underneath the rock, lifting it up over his head as if it were but a foam block. He grunted and drew his arms back, then launched the detached landmass into the air like a projectile; Naruto barely stopped himself from losing his lunch because of how fast the makeshift ball was rotating. Because of the rate of spinning, the fact that the world literally was a blur in Naruto's eyes, the blond missed the lone figure who stood atop the wall, surrounded by a small group of corpses. He was heavily tanned, and had multiple arms; but most importantly carried something of a bow, with a golden 'club' held against the thread.

"You oversized idiot." He muttered, mouth hung open in disbelief as the ball, Naruto in tow, flew over him and onto the other side of the wall; Naruto was screaming wildly, but because of the fireworks and the distant thunder, and the wind that caught the blond's breath, they couldn't hear a thing. "You're not supposed to kill the poor fool." As the projectile reached its apex and began a fast descent back towards the ground, the archer followed it with his bow, surpassing it and aiming lower. "Lucky I'm here or it'd be game over."

For Naruto's part, he never realized what'd hit him - or what caused the mound of earth he was tied to suddenly explode into a field of flying debris. The thread that'd held him down was torn to shreds, whatever sticky substance had been on it melting away. Something hit him hard on the back, thrusting him away from the volley of ripped rock and slinging him down into the trees; one branch broke his fall, another his leg (there was a loud pop and a harsh and sharp pain that told him that much), and the last - well, by that point he was headed for the ground. Then there was nothing left at all.

* * *

The memories had returned; he remembered now. How he'd gotten there. Suddenly his little temper tantrum from before wasn't making nearly as much sense. But the fact that his leg was now fully-functioning and only mildly sore was left unexplained - he was sure it had been at least sprained - and the question of "why" still remained unanswered. _'Why are they after me?'_ The blond realized that a little while had passed; it wasn't raining when the fall had happened, and it wasn't as dark. Another thought came to mind after the time became more apparent. _'Where are those... monsters? They gotta' still be looking for me! I gotta' get back to the village!'_

He made to stand, attempted to push himself off the rock he had apparently found perch on; which on closer examination looked much like the same ball of dirt that'd been ripped to shreds. But Naruto found that, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get up. Something was stopping him, as if it was pushing against his back as much as he was against the rock. "Wha-?" He started, glancing back - eyes flashing wide in horror.

"Sorry, blondie. You're not headin' back to hippieland." Said the girl from before, the one with the red hair. She had her foot pressed across the center of his back, arms folded over her chest like keeping him down was nothing. A cocky smile stretched on her face, and she regarded him with something between disgust and amusement.

"Who're you anyways? What do you want?!" Naruto demanded, mixed between an internal conflict of fear and boiling blood - hers were the same as everybody else's. Disdain. _'What for?!'_

For a moment she stayed silent, and Naruto could only faintly see a flicker of astonishment in her blackish eyes; but then she resumed the cold, hard stare. "Sorry kitten. You'll be too busy in whatever gushy dream your weaselbrain comes up with to bother." It was then that Naruto saw that same metallic object he'd briefly noticed prior in her fist; as she brought it to her lips. A soft, yet haunting tune came from it - a flute -, at first nothing but sound, followed by a feeling of sudden and alarming drowsiness that was way too out of place. Yet there was nothing he could do; harshly shaking his head had no affect, urging himself to stay awake was similar.

And then, everything went black.

* * *

 **Hey all! Welcome to Rise of Demons. I hope you've made it this far! ;)**

 **This'll be a first story of mine. I intend to make it a pretty fun adventure for all parties involved - you lot and myself. Updates may not be consistent, but I ain't plannin' on dropping out unless some kinda' crazy stuff happens in real life, like I get warped into a space-time continuum. But I'll do my best to stick with it! ^.^**

 **Be sure and leave a review lettin' me know how ya' feel! Constructive criticism is appreciated, but be gentle! I'm a delicate lil' Anon! xP**

 **See ya' next time! ...Hopefully. No, wait, you bettah' come back! You bettah' or I'll track ya' down n'- *Poof***


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: A quick note before the chapter begins, I messed with the ages of the Sound Five a little bit to have it make a little more sense. Wouldn't be fair to say they could get into Konoha as children; which is what they would be, if I was sticking to canon ages. ;) Tayuya's the only one who remains at her canon age - eight currently. The rest are a little older.**

 **So uh, don't shoot me. Please?**

 **Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you guys are likin' it so far. :)**

 **lolol1991 - Your question regarding Orochimaru _is_ related to plot-building, so I'll have to leave that one unanswered for the moment. As for Naruto's relationship with the village, I can only say that there wasn't enough room or time to really expand upon the _why_ 's of the whole thing. If I had drawn out his time in Konoha, the distrust would have been more pronounced (or at least noticeable) for sure. Sorry about that.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Dx**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Fox Hunt**

DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG.

It knocked almost as loudly as the thunder that boomed from the clouds. An alarm drum, beat repeatedly with a large and stubby club by a large-armed man, along with many of its twins, sounded off throughout the village. Rain pattered against the buildings, the streets, and the wall harshly and noisily, and the sky was black above with a murderous storm. The lightning flashed, briefly bringing light to the shadowed-over city before thrusting it back into darkness. And through it all, still they struck the gongs, willing the heavy bass to resonate across the land for miles beyond their protective barrier.

What was the purpose? Why did it roar? An alert, a warning, an alarm - a call for all to report to the one man who looked over the whole village and all who dwelt within. The Hokage had summoned his soldiers to him, so it was in his presence they gathered. Shinobi, men and women, all wearing a silver, metal band with Konoha's leaf on some part of their bodies. Warriors, grim faced or curious, all looking to their leader who had remained silent, only urging them to wait for all the available Jonin to gather before he would speak.

It wasn't long before they had.

"Naruto Uzumaki has been abducted." He began slowly, calmly; hiding the foreboding anxiety for the panic he knew would soon follow - and the rising anger towards whoever had taken the blond, despair for Naruto's safety, and a self-loathing that he had let it all happen. "It has come to my attention that a group of individuals infiltrated our village and lured Naruto to the edges of our wall, where he was taken."

There was a unified outcry, shock and rage apparent in each of them. Hiruzen was always glad to be reminded that most of his Shinobi, at least in his presence, held Naruto to the same regard as they treated the rest of the village's inhabitants. "Hokage-sama, what about ANBU? Weren't they watching him?" A female Chunin with long, charcoal hair and uniquely red eyes asked.

The Hokage paused and grimaced, contemplating whether the news should spread so quickly to the lower-ranked Shinobi. The squad assigned to guard Naruto had been found very shortly after a sentry had informed Hiruzen of Naruto's kidnapping. They were spread out across a series of rooftops and alleyways, all of them murdered with various scratches and gashes. It was obvious they had been in a battle, however short; a medical ninja had already discovered one of the corpses had a single, broken bone lodged into his lung. And it didn't belong to the dead man.

"The squad I had assigned had been murdered, likely during Naruto's disappearance." He stopped again, letting it settle in. The reaction was immediate.

"What?!" A Chunin exclaimed, the very same thing all of them likely thought. "They... They were killed?!" Hiruzen scowled, he could see it happening right before his eyes. The fear, the rapidly dropping morale. A single member of ANBU was respected like a hero among the military ranks of Konoha, anyone who was capable of killing one earned themselves a reputation just as great. One who slaughtered a whole squad, including their Jonin captain? The resulting turmoil wrought on an army would be a nightmare.

 _'This is what I was afraid of...'_ Hiruzen reflected as his subordinates nearly dropped into a state of panic. _'The Jonin are unaffected, as expected, but the rest will not be so willing to engage the enemy now. Not while they fear them.'_ He knew what he needed to do. The situation had to be contained before it devolved further. "We have reason to believe they were ambushed without a chance to properly defend themselves. Judging by our sentry's report, one of the enemy has a highly trained Genjutsu ability at their disposal. While a portion of the enemy took Naruto, the other eliminated the ANBU before they realized the enemy was there."

It was a sloppy excuse at best, but, and it pained him to admit it, the Chunin in the group were far less intelligent than the Jonin. He doubted they would pick out the lie in his story. But he knew they couldn't learn the full truth - that in fact he believed his squad had been engaged in open combat by a single individual, and maimed so quickly that there wasn't any time for support to be called for. That on its own would seem an unbelievable story to the younger members of his army, though Hiruzen had seen far more amazing things in his time; as had the older Chunin and the Jonin. It was necessary, however, to prevent everything known about the situation from coming to light. Naruto's life may very well have depended on it.

"We last saw them heading northwest, into the forest. It is imperative we retrieve Naruto, at any cost. I will not allow the Yondaime's sacrifice go to waste, nor will I tolerate any of you who treat this matter as anything less than a threat to the entire village! Our scouting teams have already been informed by bird-messengers and should be moving to intercept as we speak. Our enemy managed to avoid the detection of our sensor-nin, so we cannot rely on their insight - scour every last bit of forest until you track them down! Do whatever is necessary! Find Naruto - bring him home!" His speech was not inspirational, he didn't intend it to be. There was little time for such theatrics. His order was not meant to bolster their courage for an upcoming battle.

This was not a war, it was a search and rescue. His words were absolute - the Konoha Shinobi were to tear down the entire forest if they had to. And their response, once realizing that any action beyond complete and total obedience to Hiruzen's demand would be a release from duty or worse, was as unified as a pack of wolves upon finding their Alpha. "Hai!" They cried all at once, each of them vanishing in a flicker and a wave of wind and leaves, leaving the Hokage standing alone on the rain-drenched rooftop of his office.

"Hold on Naruto... We're coming for you." The old man murmured, halfway in prayer, before he too flickered away.

* * *

"That's the fourth group so far! Is this brat really worth the trouble?!" Shouted the six-armed man from a branch below, as he leaped towards the next in line. Kidomaru's tanned skin was patched with sporadic bruises from hits better off not taken, and his breathing was haggard; much like most of the rest of his team. He looked towards Tayuya who paced herself on the right flank - she was the girl with the red hair and the flute. She fared the best out of the four of them, a scorch mark burned the left side of her tunic from a near-miss with a Katon jutsu, but other than that she remained relatively unharmed.

"Stop your whining, freakshow!" She glared at him briefly before casting a quick glance towards the largest one in the group, the behemoth, Jirobo. He seemed more overweight than strong, but he was certainly the most physically imposing; incidentally, he also seemed the most physically battered. Over his shoulder he carried a still peacefully unconscious Naruto. "Y'know how the _great_ and _mighty_ Orochimaru-sama will react if we _don't_ get blondie over there back to him, right?! This is a trip to the circus, so quit cryin' already!"

With Kidomaru watching the rear and Tayuya on the right, Jirobo tucked in the middle with their cargo, the fourth member of their little group watched the left. He was Sakon, with greyish hair, green lipstick, and black eyeshadow; in addition to a second head that hung limply on the back of his collar. Ignoring Kidomaru's six arms, he easily took the prize for 'weirdest looking member' of them all. Sakon, like the others, was somewhat worse for wear, his brown tunic had a few slashes from a sword, although he himself was without serious injury.

He disregarded the antics of the rest of them, silently pushing the lead forward, approaching another individual who led them on. They were the four - but _he_ was a man all on his own. There wasn't a single scratch to be found on his mostly pale skin, even his robe had yet to be so much as tainted. Where the others panted and groaned, or staggered every so often, he remained steadfast, unwinded; like he hadn't fought at all. "Kimimaro, sorry to intrude." Sakon approached cautiously, eyeing the leader with a mix of respect and outright dread. "We're running low on Chakra. Another group - two at the most - should be fine, but after that we'll be in trouble."

Piercing green eyes turned to glance back at Sakon, in that one instant forcing a shiver down the silver-haired man's spine. He could see it. Far more than a mere acknowledgement, those glaringly harsh iris' promised nothing less than a painful death. It was more than enough to halt Sakon's tongue; but Kimimaro granted a reply anyways. "We keep moving." He said dryly, "You're welcome to stop if you wish, but you will not be spared the wrath of our master. Remember that."

Sakon swallowed, hard; it felt like an invisible hand had wrapped around his neck and threatened to strangle him. "...Hai." He answered after several hesitant seconds, feeling it was the only reply that would allow him to live even a second longer. If it didn't save his life. They watched the shadow of every tree they passed by in their fast-paced retreat through Hi no Kuni's seemingly endless forest. Each and every outcrop or branch could have held an enemy waiting to ambush them. A few of them did; the second group of Konoha Shinobi they slaughtered had attempted to catch them unawares.

"Hey! We've got incoming!" Kidomaru shouted from behind as he spun into a backwards leap. A strike of lightning and a chance glance behind revealed at least six individuals bounding through the treetops after them. They clung to the shadows for the most part, and had kept their distance for the time, but nothing they did could hide them from nature's light. The six-armed teen retrieved his bow from across his back, all the while his cheeks puffed like a chipmunk and he chewed a gummy substance that previously hadn't been there; until they emerged as brownish arrows. He took all four of them, but only drew one against the line.

Jirobo growled and unceremoniously tossed Naruto off his shoulder and into the arms of a barely expecting Sakon, also turning and falling down to the forest floor. "How many of these pint-sipping hippies are there?!" Tayuya bellowed angrily, glowering back at the approaching shinobi. "Get the message bozos! We ain't takin' on anymore dead weight!" The giant of the five slammed his palms into the ground right as he landed, ripping apart the earth as if it were soft and pliable, stealing away a bulky projectile and tossing it back up and towards Konoha's ninja. It collided with branch after branch, unhindered by bark or leaf, before finally it smashed into the large trunk of a tree and broke apart into pieces.

Three of the opposing force scattered to the sides (the others weren't anywhere close enough to be effected by the earthen bomb), eager to escape from the reach of rocky missiles sent tumbling their way. Even after the main body had been splintered, enough force remained to propel the remaining pieces a far ways beyond the tree. "That's one." Kidomaru smirked as he released his arrow, never ceasing his backwards motion; but his aim was true, and seconds later a young man choked up a bundle of blood and fell to the ground, having lost a lung. "Now for number two..."

Tayuya hadn't been idle either. While Jirobo distracted and Kidomaru sniped, she had grabbed two kunai from her pouch and wrapped them with a very thin, nigh invisible cord, and tossed them towards her left and right. They wedged into trees, the line stretched between them. The sniper drew another arrow, squinting and inhaling, picking between the five enemies still alive; until he saw his mark. "There you are." He grinned, letting the projectile fly speedily towards another enemy. All the while the redhead had begun a careful, soft tune with her flute.

"You won't hit me..." Grumbled the Shinobi as soon as he realized the arrow's intended target, thrusting himself down away from the flying blade - narrowly evading a near death as it breezed right over his scalp. But then he collided with the wire, and collapsed with a broken neck.

"These weaklings ain't got brains bigger than a peanut!" Tayuya remarked with a scowl, breaking off her song and glancing back towards the pursuing squad. "Somethin's not right here, Kimimaro! This is way too easy!"

"Keep moving." The leader of the five affirmed without looking back, focused solely on the landscape in front of him. There was nothing but more and more trees as far as any of them could tell - whatever it was Kimimaro could see, it wasn't something obvious. Tayuya half wondered if all the killing had finally gotten to him.

"What the- There's more!" Kidomaru warned, grabbing the four's attention away from the front and back towards the gradually closing _armada._ It wasn't fair to call them a squad anymore. Not when another twelve had joined them. Not when, by some trick of the lightning's flash, there seemed to be even more chasing after them in the distance. "Forget stopping for a rest - we can't even afford to hold our ground!"

"Just keep moving." Jirobo echoed their leader's instruction as he rejoined them from the floor. Kidomaru hissed and discarded his arrows, returning the bow to the string on his back. It wasn't a matter of fighting them off anymore. Now they'd be lucky if only to escape from Konoha's sphere of influence.

 _'Handing blondie over to 'em ain't an option either.'_ Tayuya thought with a scowl. _'They'll chase us one way or another. And the snake won't accept failure. It's a lose-lose situation at this point.'_ She growled and glared back at the approaching shinobi, tightening her grip on the flute in her palm. _'We're so screwed!'_

"We'll have to split up. Have one of us act as a diversion while the rest get away. It's our only option now." Sakon muttered, frowning. It wasn't an option he was comfortable with. Ignoring that it would be throwing one of their lives away, the sheer overwhelming size of the enemy force meant that even a distraction wouldn't last long - if at all. They were more likely to bypass whoever attempted to hold them off than they were to stop and take whoever it was down. Sakon passed a brief glance over Naruto, who he held under his arm. "If it weren't for this brat we wouldn't be having this problem."

"No one is staying behind." Kimimaro interrupted suddenly, coming to a full stop on a branch. "Keep going ahead. I'll rejoin you shortly." All of them questioned it, but none of them openly. The sense of leaving behind the strongest member of their group, and leader, was next to nil; but all the same, he was their commander. His word was law. So they went on, leaving Kimimaro behind. The pale man turned on his heel, facing the incoming battalion of shinobi without a lick of fear in his manner.

"So he wants to hold us off, huh?!" A man wearing an all-green uniform and with large, bushy eyebrows and a bulb-cut hairdo noted as he came to a halt. "Follow the rest of them! I'll show him the power of you-"

"Wait, Guy." A muffled yet sharply authoritative voice demanded, as a man with gravity-defying silver hair and a white mask in the shape of a dog blocking his face, dressed in dark grey body suit and flak jacket. He was a member of ANBU; a Captain, as it were, and the group of seven individuals dressed very nearly the same as him were his squad.

"Kakashi?!" Guy started, glaring at the far less conspicuous shinobi. "Why?! They're getting away! We've almost got them!" The rest of the shinobi with him shared the opinion. Why, when they were so close to finally catching the ones responsible for kidnapping Naruto, were they being ordered to stop? Kakashi hesitated for a moment, staring down the single individual standing in the way of them and Naruto. And then he lowered his gaze, letting his eyes drop to the ground far below.

"...We're on the border." He explained, meeting Guy's confused eyes. The rain came down as hard as ever, soaking them and everything around them. Thunder and lighting struck continuously, if anything growing ever more frequent as the storm intensified. The entire group of shinobi stared at Kakashi expectantly, even Kimimaro watched the masked man with a hint of interest. He understood, but the rest of them did not. Or at least, the majority of them didn't.

"They've been shifting their direction westward." Continued another man, this one with black, spiky hair, a beard, and a cigarette sticking out of his mouth. His name was Asuma. "Basically? We can't take another step without stumbling into the Land of Waterfalls. That's not really an issue, but if Iwagakure hears we're on the move, they'll practically think it's a declaration of war and march against us." He turned to the others with a deep frown, briefly removing the smoke-making bud from his mouth. "Konoha doesn't need another pointless war."

"But what about Naruto?!" Iruka blurted into the scene, leaping forward onto the front line. "We can't just let them get away! Hokage-sama's on his way, if we just hold them off for a little while-"

"We have nothing stopping us from retreating all the way into Tsuchi no Kuni." Kimimaro informed them all. "If you continue to pursue us, we will go into Iwagakure's territory. By that point, the Jinchuriki will be the least of your concerns. I understand the Sandaime Tsuchikage is a paranoid old fool. He's likely to send the whole Iwa army against you." While any normal man in his position may have taken the opportunity to gloat, or at least show outward pleasure at having bested Konoha, Kimimaro remained entirely passive. If there was an emotion prevalent, he wasn't about to show. "You'd do well to consider that, before deciding whether or not your Jinchuriki is worth it."

He left them with those final words, turning and dashing off into the distance. There was a collection of grumbles and murmurs among the stilled battalion, all of them wanting to continue but none of them sure if they could. Even still they could see all five of the fleeing squad in the distance - every flash of light from the storm above illuminated them brightly and clearly. The urge to chase was insurmountable, but the knowledge that doing so could very well bring a full-scale war onto Konoha held them in place. Iruka was the single man who dared to anything more than whisper to a comrade or curse to themselves or say a prayer to Kami. He inhaled, puffed out his chest, and screamed at the top of his lungs - hoping the boy would hear him.

"Narutooooo!"

* * *

It was like an echo. A voice calling for him from the distant waste, but he was never able to find the source. A blackened void, every horizon erased from the perception. Everything but himself, for he could see his own hands and feet - it was as if none of it existed anymore. But still, there was that one, lone voice. It was familiar, but foreign all at once. Like he knew who it belonged to, but couldn't put it to a name. But it called for him. Again and again and again. _'Who's there?'_ He asked, squinting against the black as if somehow it would retreat and reveal something of note. It called again.

 ** _"Naruto!"_**

And then he woke up. A sudden rise of dread and anxiety overtook him, clutching him by the throat and speeding every heart-beat along faster. His vision was blurry and distorted, ruptured by a scorching pain radiating from his brain, and it was a while before he could make any detail out of the messy and dark, and cold, place he found himself in. But when his eyes no longer pulsed and ached, Naruto wished very much that he still couldn't see anything at all. There was a single light beaming down from the very center of the room, a circular orb of white radiance. It was from this sole source that he could see the rest of the room, dim and dull and horrible.

A thick, wooden door with metal clasped hinges and bracers stood for the entrance, the walls were lined with damp brick. Chains littered the ground like bundles of dead snakes, some on their own while others were connected to long-dead skeletons - the others, the more _freshly_ deceased. There were no windows, barred or otherwise, along the four square walls, but just above the doorway there was a very small vent through which a cold wind blew. And lastly, in the center of the place, an even more minuscule, round drain; a place where blood and other more naturally occurring human waste could escape.

It was a prison, and Naruto was its only current occupant.

"Hey!" He shouted loudly, trying to stand; but finding his progress was halted by two chains that restrained his wrists and kept him close to the far back wall. No amount of effort would budge them, not even so much as a tiny crack in the stone. "Anyone there?! You guys better let me out real quick before I go Naruto Uzumaki on your pie-holes!" It was very quickly after his outburst that Naruto faltered, eyes widening and teeth clenched together. Despite his bravery and fearlessness, soon memories of the previous evening returned (or he assumed it was, time was a very touchy subject when sleep got a hold). Those two figures in the alley, he remembered them very clearly. He recollected that subtle tune the girl had played, like one that would creep into a dream and change it into something horrid.

In hindsight, shouting out in an attempt to gather some attention, even hostile in manner, was a very stupid idea - one of many, as it were, since Naruto had spent many days and nights regretting a decision he'd made, often only minutes prior. Those monsters were still out there, unless they left him to die and moved on. Naruto well and truly hoped that wasn't the case; although he'd rather they not be the ones to answer his call if anyone had to.

He winced, nearly biting his cheek and throwing himself back against the wall out of pure reflex, when the wooden door in front of him creaked open slowly and noisily. There was no blinding light from beyond, but the outline of a dimly lit room could be seen on the other side. "Quiet down, brat." Commanded a deep voice; one Naruto remembered clearly and with no small amount of tingling in his spine. Even in the hardly visible light he could see the man's silhouette. He was large and tall and altogether a monster of an individual. The opening of the door was nearly entirely filled up from side to side and top to bottom, with only a small space on the outside of his sides and over his head.

The _giant_! It had to be him! Naruto recognized it as the same shadow-figure he'd seen at the end of the alley. Between that and his booming voice, there was no mistaking it. At least he knew now who his captors were for sure, but there wasn't any comfort in it. Not even a whimper would be heard from the blond after that. Even in the dark he could _feel_ the glare the giant aimed at him, like it was a blade against his throat. It silenced him. _'This guy's gonna' kill me!'_ Naruto panicked, holding back his breath as if the simple act of exhaling would cause him to find a harsh and painful end.

In likewise manner, his captor said nothing more and let the door close with a creak and a shudder. Naruto sighed immediately, stale air filling his nostrils as he breathed normally again. But even with that his panting was quiet and controlled. Any noise, even a sneeze, could result in a sudden close to his story - whatever sort existed - and Naruto wanted to avoid such a fate. His life literally depended on it.

If there was ever a time for the blond to behave to the best of his ability, it would be then. But even so he could not prevent himself from at least attempting to find a way to escape his predicament. The vent was a tiny one, but it was possible Naruto could squeeze through it. He'd fit himself through a tight space more than once in his past - although on occasion the Hokage had to get some Shinobi to help remove him after he'd gotten stuck. With the walls being made of a kind of brick-stone, Naruto was sure he would be able to get a decent footing to climb up; from where he could try to remove the little screws holding the vent's plating in place. But then came getting over to the wall, where he was thwarted by the chains on his wrists! If it weren't for those he could escape!

Naruto was no fool when it came to escaping from tricky situations, but even he was unable to escape from the steel braces. Brute force would get him no where, he had already tried that much prior. And they were tight around his arms, so that he could never fit his hands through the middle. Each were locked with a key, but without active use of a hand (and even then, without a single thing to use as a lock pick), Naruto could think of no way to remove his bonds. "Are you kidding me?!" Naruto shouted and slammed his head back against the wall! He hissed and felt a trickle of blood rolling down the back of his neck - but what he hated more than that was when a realization dawned on him.

He'd made a sound.

The door slammed open with a loud, rumbling smash as it met the adjoined wall at full force. There was a shaking rattle - but Naruto couldn't tell if that was the room or his own bones. Or both. "W-wait wait wait! Hold on! Can't we talk about this?!" Naruto stuttered in vain as the giant approached at a quick walk. He never got a reply. With his giant hand, Jirobo grabbed Naruto by the collar and pulled - hard. A loud crack and snap echoed through the prison, Naruto realized he'd been removed from the chain keeping him to the wall, but likewise his shoulders and arms screamed in pain - much like he did. He was lucky his neck hadn't snapped, but all the same he was sure his shoulders had been dislocated, at the least.

He was never offered a word of explanation, or another warning, or anything of verbal acknowledgement. Instead he was carried, whimpering in agony, out the door and down a square, plain, seemingly unending hallway. Despite the only decorations being flickering torches nestled on the brown, metallic walls, it was a nice change of scenery from the cell he'd been in previously - but Naruto was in no position to really appreciate it. In truth, he barely noticed at all, and at some point even the light of the flames were snuffed out when the blond lost consciousness.

For some while, Naruto wondered where he was. There was a stench like that of a hundred years of putrid waste, and a slow, eerie drip that echoed against the dark. Of what he could see, the ground and walls were metal, and there were pipes that lined the upper corners and followed every little turn. Was it... a sewer? But it looked nothing like the place he'd been prior. Where was he? _'Where...'_ He could never finish his thought. It was low and he had to strain to hear it, but even so Naruto could very faintly make out a long, deep, menacing growl.

And then he woke up again.

The scene was not much better. A chamber of sorts, not altogether regal yet still reminiscent of an old, forgotten throne room. Four torches - they were all that lit the room with a flickering, orange light. It wasn't much to go on, to be sure. Naruto had to settle for what little details he could gather, although even then he wished he could see more. The ceiling was nearly unseen, so thoroughly hidden by the shroud as it was that it seemed to go on for miles. The four walls, however, that engulfed the cave into the box of an area that it was were far closer to the poor lanterns, and thus were far more reasonably estimated. With his back to the entrance, on his left and right were four half-pillars (two for each wall) that each flanked a small doorway leading out of the chamber.

If it were left at that the little room would bear some sense of normalcy at best, but unfortunately any form of regularity was lost once eyes set upon a single artifact of furniture that rested on the far end. Or, to put it more accurately, what sat in it was what threw any hope of an end to the nightmare out the nonexistent window. It was but a mere chair, one that was neither grand nor remarkable in any sense; it was made purely out of pinewood, and could hardly be considered any larger or smaller than any other seat found in any other place. But the man who sat in it, if indeed a man he was, would not hold true to the same report.

What was he? Naruto couldn't tell. He'd seen many an individual who maintained some kind of bizarre or peculiar quality to their appearance, sometimes out of personality or otherwise a desire to be somehow different, but Naruto had to admit that in a community of deviants, the individual who reclined on his little throne took the prize. He was pale, far more than one would think physically possible or even sanitary. His eyes were vertical slits, just like those of a reptile, and purple markings trailing the top of his lids and following the lines of his narrow nose. It was entirely possible that he could pass for a ghoul on a Halloween stroll, but something told Naruto that he wasn't the type to pursue such an adventure.

But, appearances could be deceptive - it was just as possible that he was offering candy.

"Ah, so this is the Uzumaki child..." He murmured to himself in a slow, nasally way. Naruto could almost feel his inquisitive, golden eyes glaring at him from the shade. It was an eerie and shiver-inducing experience, just in being under the being's eye was enough to rattle Naruto to the bone; and he prided himself on being unshakable. "You appear to be in one piece. But I wonder just how much _trauma_ you've endured on your way here?" The blond nearly blurted some unwise retort, wishing to draw attention to his arms which hung loosely at his sides - but just then he realized that they were functioning as normal.

"Wha...?" He started while clenching his fist, playing with the grip. His shoulders were still a bit sore, yet compared to the damage that should have been done, he was very well off. As if instead of having his shoulders outright dislocated, Naruto had instead simply been busy doing extensive manual labor. Of course, he wasn't about to complain about it! He'd take working arms over not, any day of the week. But it didn't make sense. He'd just had his arms broken; how was it that they were now healed?

"So they haven't told you." The pale man mused with a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his thin lips. "Well, I suppose is doesn't really matter. You'll figure it out soon. All Jinchuriki do."

"Jinchurooki? What's that?" Naruto asked with a quirk of his brow and a tilt of his head. "And who are you anyway? Why'd these circus-freaks kidnap me, huh?" Obviously he was feeling a bit braver now, though why was anyone's guess. Suffice to say that Naruto was feeling a bit lucky as it was, having both his leg and now his arms healed in a matter of seeming minutes. If they healed that well, how much more would any other injury recover? Some small part of Naruto, by that point, felt invincible.

"Not yet." The older man hissed with a frown, sending a shiver down Naruto's spine. "If you survive, you will discover all that in the future. For now you're only concern is that you serve me. Anything more than that is hardly of any worth to you." The blond nearly let slip a sigh of relief. He wasn't the sharpest kunai in the pouch, but even Naruto caught on to the certain choice of words the pale man had used. Serving was not being killed, at least not yet. So there was a very good chance Naruto could survive yet; though under what terms remained to be seen.

"Do well, and you'll be rewarded. Fail, and you shall die. It's that simple, Naruto - " For whatever reason, Naruto absolutely hated to hear his name - "You will be fed, receive your own room, and even be trained; but only if you do as I instruct without question. Try me, and your fate is sealed, there is no alternative. Obey me, and I will give you a power beyond your wildest dreams. It's your decision." Of course, Naruto knew what he meant. The choice was whether the blond would listen or not. But when it came to the _offer_ as a whole, Naruto doubted he really had any say in the matter. His future was predetermined right from the get-go. So his answer was silence, an unspoken consent.

Of course, it wouldn't be enough for the freak show to smile and go on his way; he had to add in one final line. "Behave, learn, submit - and I will give you the keys to immortality." He finished with a broad smile, revealing the fangs sticking where his eyeteeth should have been. It was then that Naruto decided that his new _master_ was, quite frankly, out of his screwed up and lopsided mind. And Naruto was stuck serving him. That there was a true recipe for disaster, the blond just knew it. So of course Naruto could only really believe one thing, which wasn't at all what he'd like to.

He was screwed.

* * *

 **Yaaaaay chapter 2. Hope ya'll enjoyed it! 'Cause if you didn't, I'ma shank the lot o' ya'! Well, okay, maybe not, but I'll do something nasty and unwanted! ...Or not...**

 **Please feel free to leave a review lettin' me know how ya' think! I enjoy hearing your guy's thoughts on the story as I'm writing it (and hopefully the overall view is pretty positive!), makes me all giddy inside when they're really good! ;) I should be getting the next chapter up at some point, though I can't exactly say when. xP**

 **Until then, adios! *Poof***


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